The Defence Ministry on Wednesday issued a Request for Proposal for its mega indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project to three shortlisted bidders, as per defence officials' statements. The bidders include Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Electronics Ltd, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, and the Bharat Forge-BEML Ltd consortium. According to previous reports, the technical and legal aspects of the deal had been settled and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, L&T and Bharat Forge were set to receive tenders by the end of May. An RFP is a document through which the government invites selected firms to submit technical and commercial proposals for a project, with the shortlisted firms selected based on their technical capabilities to compete for building prototypes before a final production contract is awarded. The move comes exactly one year after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the AMCA execution model, offering equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on a competitive basis.
The fifth-generation fighter jet is anticipated to possess stealth proficiencies, AI-integration, long-range targeting systems, and the ability to work side-by-side with unmanned aerial platforms. The winning partner will work with the Aeronautical Development Agency under the Defence Research and Development Organisation to build five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft. The work will be carried out at the new 650-acre testing facility being developed at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu earlier this month. The facility is estimated to cost around ₹2,000 crore and is expected to become operational within a year, with a target to fly the prototypes by 2032. According to the Defence Ministry, Puttaparthi is set to join the exclusive league of global destinations from which a fifth-generation aircraft will take to the skies. It will become the birthplace of an aircraft capable of annihilating the enemy in the blink of an eye. The AMCA programme has an estimated outlay of around ₹15,000 crore, while the new testing facility is being developed at a cost of nearly ₹2,000 crore.
The Defence Ministry has set an indicative budget outlay of ₹15,000 crore for the prototype stage of the AMCA programme, with the overall AMCA development programme estimated to cost around ₹15,000 crore. The facility development alone is estimated at ₹2,000 crore and is expected to generate employment for nearly 7,500 people. Once the fifth generation AMCA is developed and tested, the Indian Air Force will likely put forward a more sizeable order for up to 120 jets in the first phase, with deliveries expected to commence by 2035.
The Ministry of Defence also successfully test-launched the short-range ballistic missile Agni-1 missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha, marking another validation of the country's strategic deterrence capabilities. This development comes alongside the AMCA project, demonstrating the government's comprehensive approach to modernizing India's defence capabilities. The AMCA facility development represents a significant infrastructure investment that will contribute to India's indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities. On May 15, Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stones for the Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre at Puttaparthi to fast-track the development of Fifth-Generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and other future indigenous platforms. The Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre of Aeronautical Development Agency, an affiliate organisation of DRDO, serves as a vital component of the project.
A full-scale model of India's first 5.5 Gen stealth aircraft, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), equipped with cutting-edge features was showcased at the India Pavilion at Aero India 2025 in February 2025. The aircraft was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the use of the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to the ADA, the implementation of AI in AMCA aircraft will boost the ADA in progressing the development activities. It will also allow the AMCA aircraft to enhance operational capabilities, making AMCA one of the most advanced 5th-generation fighter aircraft among contemporary aircraft. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will execute the programme through an industry partnership under the Execution Model approach, which provided equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on a competitive basis. While the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is out of the AMCA prototype development race, the PSU is still expected to compete in the larger production tender after the jet successfully completes testing and development.
